Ready for a tour of what actually happens when you skip sleep? Here are some real, actual sleep deprivation studies from the last century, and what people did during them. When Staying Awake Becomes Performance Art In 1959, Bliss et al. kept seven medical students awake for 72 hours straight, because medical school apparently wasn’t […]
Melatonin Is a Stage Manager, Not the Star of Sleep
Let’s talk melatonin. Or, as I like to call it (to the confusion of my friends and loved ones): negative light. What I mean is this: This doesn’t mean darkness = melatonin. You need darkness at the time your body wants to make melatonin. For most of us, this happens at night. You can expect […]
Social Jet Lag: Why Your Weekend Sleep Habit Isn’t Helping
Ever find yourself staying up later on the weekends, then dragging through Monday like you’ve flown cross-country? That mismatch between your weekday and weekend sleep schedules has a name: social jet lag—and it’s not great for your health. In a study our CEO (Olivia Walch) co-authored, they looked at Twitter activity (a rough stand-in for […]
Can Poor Sleep Make You Sick? Science Says Yes.
Ever wonder if sleeping less actually makes you more likely to get sick? The answer is: absolutely. In one study, researchers tracked people’s sleep for two weeks, then exposed them to the common cold virus (yes, really). People who slept less than 7 hours were nearly 3 times more likely to get sick. And those […]
Circadian Rhythms Are Like Walking
Have you ever timed up your steps with a friend’s as you walk on the sidewalk? Or synced up your steps to match a pattern of tiles on the ground? Our bodies know what it’s like to find a groove, a pattern, a rhythm. It turns out, that’s not just true for your feet—it’s also […]
Why You’re Waking Up at 3AM (and What to Do About It)
You fall asleep just fine… but then suddenly you’re wide awake at 3:00 AM, staring at the ceiling. Sound familiar? If this happens often, your internal clock, or circadian rhythms, might be playing a bigger role than you think. Let’s break it down with an analogy. Your Sleep System is Like a Water Cooler Picture […]
Light Your Way to Better Sleep
If you’ve ever struggled with sleep after a late-night screen binge or felt extra alert during a sunny morning walk, you’ve already experienced how light affects your body. Light is one of the most powerful cues for your circadian rhythm—your body’s internal clock that regulates sleep, energy, and alertness. That’s why Arcashift includes personalized lighting […]
Debunking Common Sleep Myths
Sleep myths are everywhere, and let’s be honest—some of us might still follow the advice we heard once in passing, but was it ever true? These misconceptions could be messing with your rest, so let’s set the record straight on five big ones. ❌ Myth: “Drinking coffee in the afternoon won’t affect your sleep.” ✅ […]
3 Sleep Tips from Our CEO for Sleep Awareness Month
Good sleep doesn’t come easily for everyone, and simply closing your eyes and hoping for the best isn’t the answer—it’s about aligning with your circadian rhythms to set yourself up for success. For Sleep Awareness Month, our CEO, Olivia Walch, shares three simple but powerful ways to improve your sleep using circadian science. 1. Light […]
What’s a Chronotype (And Why Should You Care)?
Are you the type to jump out of bed at 5 AM, ready to take on the day, or do you hit snooze until the last possible moment? Your chronotype might explain why. According to the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, your chronotype is based on the midpoint of your sleep on days you don’t have to […]